Coaster



June 21, 1966 B. J. BLUNDELL COASTER Filed May 4, 1964 BILLY J. BLUN DELL INVENTOR.

AGENT United States Patent 3,257,092 COASTER Billy J. Blundell, 4016 NW. 61st, Oklahoma City, Okla Filed May 4, 1964, Ser. No. 364,528

1 Claim. (Cl. 248-3461) The present invention relates to coasters for drinking glasses and the like.

It has been common practice to provide a section of absorbent material at the bottom of a coaster which absorbs the moisture that condenses on a drinking glass. Frequently the absorbent material becomes saturated and moisture eventually collects in or runs out of the bottom of the coaster. In some coasters the absorbent material is not secured to the coaster and when the material is wet it tends to adhere to the bottom of the drinking glass and be lifted out of the coaster. Other types of coasters have an absorbent material therein which has been glued to the coaster bottom which renders the absorbent material difficult to remove and replace.

It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to overcome the foregoing difliculties and disadvantages by providing a novel coaster adapted to receive a sheet of moisture absorbent material, such as a paper napkin, which may be readily placed within and easily removed from the coaster.

Another object is to provide a coaster wherein the absorbent material is firmly anchored within the coaster and is not in directcontact with the supported drinking glass.

Another object is to provide a coaster having a well for retaining excess moisture collecting on and draining out of the saturated absorbent pad.

Yet another object is to provide a coaster of this type which is formed of a unitary section of plastic arranged in superposed sections to releasably receive a pad of absorbent material therebetween and which is light in weight and attractive in appearance.

The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by hingedly connecting a drinking glass supporting lid member to an absorbent pad nesting base member.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying single sheet of drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the coaster illustrating, by dotted lines, a drinking glass supported thereby;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the coaster in opened position; and,

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view, to a slightly larger scale, taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 1.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in those figures of the drawings in which they occur.

In the drawings:

The reference numeral indicates the coaster, as a whole, comprising a base member or bottom section 12 and a top section or lid member 14. The base member 12 includes a horizontal bottom portion 16 having surrounding upstanding side walls 18-20 and end walls 22-24 of uniform height joined by rounded corners to enhance its generally square wafer-like appearance and form a Similarly the opening 28 is defined by 3,257,092 Patented June 21, 1966 a central depending wall 40 terminating in the plane formed by the free edge surfaces of the side and end walls 32-34 and 36-38 of the lid member. Reinforcing strips 41, formed on the inner surface of the top 26, interconnect the central wall 40 with the respective side and end walls of the lid.

A plurality of crossed bars or strips 42, parallel to the respective sides and ends of the top wall, are integrally connected to each other and at their respective ends to the inward surface of the depending edge portion of the wall 40 defining the aperture 28, as seen in FIG. 1, to form a lattice across the aperture 28 to support the drinking glass 30, or the like, when the latter is placed within the aperture.

A portion of the free edge of the bottom wall 24 is integrally connected to a portion of the free edge of the top wall 38 to form a relatively thin hinge 44 permitting vertical pivoting movement of the lid member 14 toward and away from the base member 12. An upstanding catch or latch 46, formed on the bottom wall 22, is cooperatingly received in latching relation by the recess 48 formed in the lid member wall 36 for releasably holding the lid and base in closed position.

Operation In operation an absorbent member, such as a conventional paper napkin 50, is folded twice to form a square shape which is freely received on the bottom. 16 within the'well 25 formed by the bottom end and side walls 18-20 and 22-24. The lid is closed and latched and thereafter the drinking glass 30 may be positioned within the aperture 28 on the lattice bars 42. When the napkin "50 is wet or has become soiled it is replaced by manually releasing the latch 46 and opening the lid 14.

Obviously the invention is susceptible to some change or alteration without defeating its practicability, and I therefore do not wish to be confined to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings and described herein, further than I am limited by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A coaster for drinking glasses, comprising: a substantially square base member having a horizontal flat bottom and having upstanding side and end walls of uniform height forming a moisture and absorbent pad receiving shallow well; an absorbent pad removably received by said well; a substantially square lid member superposed on said base member, said lid member having depending side and end walls coinciding with said upstanding walls, said lid member having a central opening defined by a central depending wall terminating in the plane formed by the free edges of said side and end walls of said lid and adapted to receive the base portion of a drinking glass; a plurality of reinforcing strips formed on the inner surface of said lid member interconnecting said depending side and end walls with said central depending wall; a plurality of crossed bars integrally connected to each other and to the innersurface of the depending edge portion of said central depending wall below the top thereof forming a plane coinciding with the plane formed by the depending edge surface of said central depending wall and forming a drinking glass supporting lattice overlying said absorbent pad when said lid member is superposed on said base member; an integrally connected relatively thin hinge joining the upper outer free edge portion of an end wall of said base member to the lower outer free edge portion of an end wall of said lid member; and an upstanding catch formed on the end wall of said base member opposite said hinge, the end wall ofsaid lid member opposite said hinge having a cooperating catch receiving recess forming a latch.

(References on following page) 3 4 References Cited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS 5,630 6/ 1879 Germany.

D. 144,357 4/1946 Crane D86-10 1,682,534 8/1928 Martinat 132 83 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Przmary Exammer.

3,079,037 2/1963 Schechter 220-60 5 J. PETO, Assistant Examiner. 

